


Baby Talk

by bjfic_archivist



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Canon, Crossover, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-05-19
Updated: 2004-05-19
Packaged: 2018-12-27 10:22:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12079137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bjfic_archivist/pseuds/bjfic_archivist
Summary: Gus speaks (and everyone listens). Set during season four, but devoid of concurrent spoilers.





	Baby Talk

**Author's Note:**

> Note from IrishCaelan, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Brian_Justin_Fanfiction_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in September 2017. I posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/bjfic/profile).

Inspired by 1) something Jude said in an e-mail; and 2) a [discussion](http://www.livejournal.com/users/zoisite84/401146.html) on LiveJournal regarding the fact that there are quite enough young'uns populating the QaF canon landscape already. This is sort of in the same vein as [Two Babies](http://bjfic.net/viewstory.php?sid=2098), but not intentionally written as a companion piece.

* * *

"Did Gus have a good time with Daddy this weekend?" Lindsey cooed at her three-year-old son as she lifted him out of the car and set him on wobbly toddler legs atop the pavement. Big brown eyes blinked at her in response. 

"It was fun!" Gus enthused, clutching his teddy bear; it had been a gift from Justin on his last birthday -- he'd later sketched Gus clutching it sleepily whilst nestled in his father's arms, tuckered out from a long day of cake, ice cream, Pin the Tail on the Donkey, and of course, presents. Justin's mommy had told him that Justin once had a bear named Gus, so Gus, in all of his three-year-old wisdom, decided it was only proper to return the favour. Now, he refused to go to sleep without Justinbear firmly entrenched in his grasp. 

"What did you do with Daddy?" Lindsey prompted, shutting and locking the car door firmly and, grasping Gus' chubby hand in her own, made her way into the house. Now co-director of the art gallery where she worked, Lindsey was occasionally responsible for taking career-related business trips; it was only every few months or so, but the couple of days out of town provided her and Melanie a lovely opportunity to get away, in more ways than one. Luckily, ever since Brian's disastrous feat in attempting to juggle the Leather Ball and caring for an infant a few years prior, the ad executive had grown in leaps and bounds in his paternal savvy. And while Lindsey suspected that Justin had a lot to do with it, she didn't have to twist Brian's arm terribly hard to get him to agree to take Gus during said business trips. 

Gus happily began ticking the litany of activities off on his pudgy fingers. "Daddy took me to the diner to see Grandma Debbie," he noted; unlike Brian, the faux redheaded waitress had been ecstatic at donning this title, not because it indicated that she was getting old, but because Gus was hardly old enough to complain about being coddled the way Michael and Hunter and the rest of "her boys" did. "Then we went to a Monster Truck Rally," the little boy continued, eyes shining brightly.

"Oooh, I bet that was exciting," Lindsey exclaimed, kicking off her blue leather pumps and helping Gus step out of his own Bob the Builder sneakers once they were inside. "And noisy." She knew how much Brian hated exhaust and dust, and smiled inwardly with the knowledge that he truly loved his son if he willingly subjected himself to such an environment. 

"It was really noisy, Mommy," Gus agreed, letting Justinbear fall on the floor momentarily in his excitement. "And there was this giant red truck with wheels *this* big" -- he stretched his arms out as far as they could go for emphasis -- "and it made all the other cars that it ran over go 'crunch'." Gus slapped his palms together to mimic this. "And then Jus'in told Daddy to bring us to McDonald's or he wouldn't, um, wouldn't --" 

"He brought you to McDonald's, that's nice, sweetie," Lindsey injected quickly, pretty sure she could infer what Justin had threatened his lover with. Not all that long ago, the hurdle of Gus first beginning to talk had come and gone; what was meant to be a joyous fanfare of "oh, listen, he said 'mommy'" or "Brian, look, he knows you're his 'dada'" was superceded by an exchange unfortunately overheard by the precocious little boy at a group dinner one evening. 

"Brian, pass the scalloped potatoes, would you, hon?" Debbie had asked. Brian, busy picking daintily at his food, shifting it around in his plate to make it appear like he'd eaten some, had picked up the ceramic dish without thinking and dropped it back on the table with a 'clang'. "Fuck," he hissed, glaring at the slightly reddened area on his hand where the hot dish had burned him. 

"Fuck," Gus had repeated. Melanie dropped her fork; noting the range of flabbergasted and amazed expressions on the adults' faces, the little boy had clapped his hands with glee and banged his own (slightly kiddified, Sesame Street brand silverware) against his (matching) plate, chanting, "fuck, fuck, fuck!" 

"Christ, Brian," Debbie had chastised; Michael, Justin, Emmett and Ted all bit back smirks as Lindsey attempted to explain to Gus why he shouldn't always repeat whatever his daddy said. Said daddy, on the other hand, had just shrugged. 

"At least," Brian had justified, "we know he's not mute." 

Since then, Gus spoke frequently and avidly, picking up key phrases and nicknames with ease. Justin had been tickled when a conversation between he and Brian resulted in Gus calling him "Sunshine"; Melanie, on the other hand, hadn't been quite as amused when she found out that Brian unceremoniously referred to Gus' two moms as "The Munchers". Even his preschool teacher had been dutifully impressed by his garrulousness; "Gus is a very smart little boy," she'd written in a makeshift progress report a few weeks ago. "He obviously has many positive influences at home, which is very refreshing to see." Lindsey tried to inject this into arguments with Melanie whenever Brian's parenting skills got put through the ringer. 

"Are you tired, Gus?" Lindsey asked, smiling at her son as he yawned. "How about Mommy tucks you in and you can take a nap, okay?"

"'M not ... sleepy," Gus frowned adamantly, but while the vehement sentiment was still there, he didn't protest when Lindsey picked him up and headed for the stairs. "Mommy, don't forget Jus'in!" he gasped, clinging to the stuffed toy that Lindsey swooped down and rescued from the floor. Once upstairs, she kissed both of Gus' flushed cheeks before setting him down in his bed (race car-themed, like the majority of his room, at the moment), and covered him from toes to chin with his favourite Nascar blanket, Justinbear still cradled in his arms. "Love you, Mommy," Gus burbled, yawning again, his eyes shutting on their own accord. "And love Melanie, and Daddy, and Grandma Debbie, and Jus'in, and Uncle Michael and Uncle Ben ..."

"And they all love you, too, sweetie," Lindsey whispered. Bending down, she kissed Gus softly on the forehead, brushing a lock of silky auburn hair from where it looked like it was tickling his nose, and padded out of the room to get in touch with Melanie, who had gone to her office to make sure everything was still running smoothly. Weekends away were nice, Lindsey thought, but nothing could quite beat being a parent. 

"Melanie Marcus."

"Mel, how much longer do you think you'll be?" Lindsey asked, cradling the cell phone between her shoulder and ear so she could both talk and step out of her business clothes simultaneously. 

"I'm just about to head out," her partner replied. "Why, did you need me to pick anything up?" 

Lindsey considered this. "I *am* kind of tired, actually," she rationalized. "Why don't you grab something for dinner and we'll just eat it here? It'll save us the time and energy of making something tonight."

"Sounds good," Melanie enthused. "Any suggestions for the main course?"

"If it's alright with you," Lindsey said, eyes twinkling, "I could really go for some McDonald's."


End file.
